WWII vet shares memories of D-Day

KITTERY, MAINE — It's been 145 years since the first Memorial Day was proposed by a drugstore owner in Waterloo, N.Y., and an American tradition was born.

Jennifer Feals

KITTERY, MAINE — It's been 145 years since the first Memorial Day was proposed by a drugstore owner in Waterloo, N.Y., and an American tradition was born.

"For one day, businesses closed, widows placed wildflowers on fresh graves, townspeople made wreaths to place upon the headstones, flags waived proudly at half-staff, and an American tradition was born," said Norman Leon, quartermaster of the Kittery/Eliot Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post 9394.

On Saturday, the post held its 65th annual Memorial Day Parade and Memorial Cemetery Ceremonies in Kittery's Orchard Grove Cemetery. A full crowd gathered along the parade route and followed to the cemetery to honor the men and women who fought for our country and paid the ultimate price.

"We need to recognize their service, respect their devotion to duty, and do whatever it takes to ensure the purpose for which they fought will be remembered," said Leon, also the parade's president. "Above all, as citizens, we must honor our obligation to preserve their memory. We must not only remember our fallen heroes, but it's our obligation to teach that sacrifices are meaningless without remembrance."

From March 2003 to March 2010, 42 Maine soldiers have died in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Leon said. They were honored Saturday as were the 34 Kittery veterans who died within the last year.

Memorial Day brings with it something different for everyone, Leon said, from memories of fallen comrades, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and friends, to a solemn state of mind.

For guest speaker Walter Wheeler, state representative for District 151 and U.S. Navy veteran, the day brought back memories of June 6, 1944, the invasion of Normandy, known as D-Day. Wheeler said he was in a liberty ship parked off the coast of France with his gun aimed at Normandy.

"I was in the middle of a big thing but feeling kind of small. I was a skinny 18-year-old kid from Maine thinking of home and doing my duty," he said. "I can still taste, feel and see it." There was a dense black fog, Wheeler said, and the sky was dark with black bits of metal falling down. Though soldiers sometimes couldn't even see, they had to keep firing, he said.

"When you are 18, you don't think about tomorrow, you think about today and hope you get through it. You think about your buddies and hope they get through it, too," he said. "The moment keeps coming, so fast. Life keeps passing you on. That's war."

The day was one of remembrance for Becky Hemeree and Ruth Sallade of Kittery, whose fathers both served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

"It was always very hard for them to talk about it, but you knew that it was a significant part of their lives and we sometimes forget that," Hemeree said. "You can't forget that."

For Sallade, it's important to pay tribute.

"It's important to honor those that are serving currently and to honor the past," she said.

On the sidelines of the parade route, before the morning's ceremony, Carter Poirier, 7, of Kittery, sat waving an American flag and talking with his father, Brian, about the importance of Memorial Day.

"It's a good time to come out and remember those fighting for our country," Brian told his son.

For Elizabeth Robert, 10, of Kittery, Memorial Day is also about celebrating our country.

"We can represent our state and show that we really care about America," she said.

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